The sun is shining... and it will help you beat cancer

SCIENTISTS have linked a lack of sunlight to 15 types of cancer.

Exposure to sunlight has also been linked to a reduced risk of multiple sclerosis and diabetes []

In a series of ground-breaking studies experts have found evidence that sun exposure may protect against some forms of the disease, despite increasing the risk of skin cancer.

One recent study, published in the journal Anticancer Research, assessed cancer cases in 100 countries along with rates of ambient ultraviolet radiation.

More sunlight was “consistently” associated with reduced rates of many types of cancer including breast, cervical, colon, oesophageal, gastric, lung and two forms of lymphoma.

In another study, published in the journal Cancer Causes & Control, death rates and cancer cases were analysed in 263 Chinese counties alongside satellite measurements of sunlight.

It found death rates for all cancers were reduced in areas where there was more sunlight. It also found incidence that some cancer types had the same correlation with ultraviolet light.

Studies suggest this could be increasing our risk of some cancers

Professor Ann Webb, a specialist on ultraviolet light at the University of Manchester

Researchers suggested that vitamin D, produced by sunlight on the skin, “may reduce the incidence or improve the outcome of cancer”. A third study, published this month in the International Journal of Cancer, involved nearly 451,000 people in America. Scientists found exposure to ultraviolet light was linked to a reduced risk of various cancers including prostate, kidney, colon and bladder. This research also accounted for other risk factors including diet, exercise and smoking habits.

Experts suspect the role that sunlight has to play in producing vitamin D may explain the findings. Professor Ann Webb, a specialist on ultraviolet light at the University of Manchester, said:

“Humans evolved in a sunlit environment and our modern lifestyles are very much based indoors, so we are not getting our evolutionary exposure to sunlight.

“Studies suggest this could be increasing our risk of some cancers. It may be that sunlight and its role in the production of vitamin D may have a protective effect.”

However, she added: “There are clear risks of over-exposure which increases the chances of developing skin cancer. It is better to have more frequent low-level exposures to sunlight rather than a sudden burst, and burning is definitely a sign of damage.”

Professor Lesley Rhodes, of Manchester University, who is researching the effects of ultraviolet light on the skin, said: “We need to take these studies into account and we need to find a way of safely enhancing our exposure to the sun and our vitamin D levels.

“Our work hopes to find the right patterns of sun exposure to give us good levels of vitamin D without increasing the risk of skin cancers.”

Ad Brand, of the Sunlight Research Forum, said: “There is no dispute that man is designed to get 90 per cent of his vitamin D requirement through the skin. The link with vitamin D deficiency and cancer is well established.

“These studies back our recommendation that we need a regular but moderate exposure to UV light, either in the sun or under a solarium.”

Exposure to sunlight has also been linked to a reduced risk of multiple sclerosis and diabetes.